Moldboard assembly



Jan. 16, 1962 F. R. ABEL 3,016,637

MOLDBOARD ASSEMBLY Filed Nov. 12, 1958 INVENTOR.

F7NN R H flTTORNEY-S United States Patent 3,016,637 MOLDBOARD ASSEMBLY Finn R. Abel, Seattle, Wash, assignor to Allied Tractor Equipment Company, Seattle, Wash, a corporation of Washington Filed Nov. 12, 1958, Ser. No. 773,298 1 Claim. (Cl. 37-170) This invention relates to bulldozers and has reference more particularly to moldboard assemblies as used on bulldozers for dirt moving operations.

It is the principal object of the present invention to provide an improved form of moldboard comprising rigidly joined, complernental opposite end sections; each of which can be described as being straight from end to end, and which sections, in their coacting and complemental relationship, provide a wide angle, V-shaped moldboard whereby certain earth or dirt moving advantages are attained.

Explanatory to the present invention it will be here noted that the most commonly used moldboard assemblies are straight from end to end and in some instances such moldboards have been equipped at their opposite ends with dirt retaining wings. However, straight blades do not inherently provide for the automatic retaining of the dirt load as pushed forwardly by the moldboard and therefore their capacity is limited.

It has been found that a rigid moldboard formed with straight opposite end sections, joined in such an angular relationship as to provide a somewhat V-shaped blade, that is, a blade having its ends disposed somewhat ahead of the middle point of the moldboard, will have inherent load gathering and retaining properties. However, in the pushing of dirt by use of a forwardly facing v'shaped moldboard, regardless of its angle, there is experienced the undesirable packing and wedging of dirt in the base or corner portion of the angular structure to such extent that it prevents or hinders the desired inward and forward rolling movement of dirt while being gathered and moved by the moldboard. 'In other words, when dirt becomes packed in the angle, the moldboard will not properly scour.

In view of the above mentioned disadvantage, of V- shaped moldboard it has been the principal prime object of this invention to provide moldboards of angular form or What are designated as V-shaped moldboards, with means whereby the wedging of dirt in the base of the forwardly facing angle will be eliminated and the dirt, as gathered and retained by the moldboard, will be kept in that active and free moving state referred to as a live condition.

More specifically stated, the objects and advantages of the present invention reside in the provision of a fabricated moldboard having the complemental opposite halves or end portions thereof rigidly joined, end to end, and forwardly inclined from the joint thus to provide the angular form that results in greater dirt retaining facility. Furthermore, to provide this moldboard with a fillet plate Within the base of its angle that eliminates dirt packing at that location and thus avoids all the disadvantages of operation that would result therefrom.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention reside in the details of construction and combination of parts embodied in the moldboard assembly of the present invention, as will hereinafter be fully described.

In accomplishing the above mentioned and other objects of the invention, I have provided the improved details of construction, the preferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a moidboard assembly, as seen from directly in front of it, embodying the improvements of the present invention therein.

FIG. 2 is an end elevation of the moldboard assembly, showing it resting on the ground surface in a normal position of use and as connected to a thrust beam of a bulldozer.

FIG. 3 is a vertical section, taken through the moldboard assembly on the line 3-3 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a top, or plan view of the medial and one end portion of the present moldboard assembly, as attached at one end to the corresponding thrust beam.

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

The present moldboard assembly as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, is designated in its entirety by reference numeral it It comprises a moldboard of substantial length; a blade or cutting edge which is fixed to and extends across the lower edge of the moldboard and the usual pads or brackets for the functional attachment of the assembly to the thrust beams of the bulldozer.

The moldboard 10 is fabricated from opposite end plates herein designated, respectively, by reference numerals 11a and 11b; each plate being the complement of the other. These plates are of equal length and are welded together, end to end, providing the vertical joint line that is designated in FIGS. 1 and 4 by numeral 12. In their joined relationship, these opposite end plates provide a rigid moldboard, having its outer ends set equally forward of the medial portion as established by the joint 12, as will be understood by reference to their showing in FIG. 4; the angle between the opposite plates, in this particular instance being one of approximately and therefore, the present moldboard is described as of wide angles V-shaped form. The moldboard ordinarily would be of the usual cross-sectional curvature, as seen in FIG. 3.

For its intended uses, this moldboard is equipped along its lower edge with blades or cutting edges 15--15 which are applied flatly against the forward faces of the two moldboard forming plates 11a and 11b and are bolted or otherwise suitably fixed thereto. Pads, as to 20 and 21 in FIGS. 2 and 4, are also provided on the backside of the moldboard adjacent its ends, for mounting of brackets, as at 22, for attachment to the forward ends of the thrust arms or push beams of the bulldozer, such as that designated by numeral 25 in FIG. 2. The specific means employed for effecting the raising, lowering, pitching and tilting adjustments of the moldboard assembly may be any one of the conventional means or any other that are suitable. Also, the bracing of the moldboard structure to retain its cross-sectional and angular shape can be done according to requirements.

It will be observed, more particularly by reference to FIG. 3, that the plates from which the moldboard sections 11a and 111) are formed are forwardly curved in the usual manner to increase the dirt scooping, retaining and rolling property of the moldboard. It is also noted that forwardly projecting wings 2626 are applied within the opposite ends of the moldboard to add to the dirt retaining capacity of the moldboard. However, these wings do not project forwardly of the end limits of the blade as applied to the moldboard and thus will not interfere with any of those operations that are carried out with the blade pitched or tilted.

The feature by which this invention is characterized is the means provided for eliminating the dirt packing in the base of the angle of the moldboard. It is shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 that a fillet plate 30 of substantial dimensions, and substantially of oval form, is welded within the angle of the moldboard in such position as to extend along the joint 12 and to equal extent along the plates on opposite sides of the joint. This fillet plate is slightly curved, as noted in :FIGS. 3 and 4, and it extends vertically from near the line of the top edges of the blades 15-15 to near the top of the moldboard. Its position, shape and mode of application to the moldboard causes it to fill in and round out the corner of the angle formed by the joined parts 11a and 11b, thus to prevent the packing or clogging of dirt in the moldboard at this location. By so doing, it serves as a means of insuring that the dirt held in the moldboard will be kept alive and movingas the load is pushed forwardly.

By so improving the moldboard with this fillet, the use of an angular form of moldboard is rendered practical and efiicient. This invention applies particularly to moldboards of the Wide angle form herein shown.

What I claim as new is:

A moldboard of the character described having its rear side equipped with means for its functional support for a bulldozing or dirt moving operation; said moldboard comprising a pair of complemental side sections rigidly joined together in end abutting relation and in forwardly and laterally directed divergent relation Whereby there is formed a vertical angle between the forward surfaces of the sections midway between the ends of the moldboard, and an elongate vertically disposed plate positioned against the said forward surfaces of said sections and bridging across said angle and presenting a forward- 1y facing surface extending straight across the angle and to substantially the same distance on each side of the line of join between the ends of said sections, the plate extending vertically substantially the entire vertical length of the angle, said plate being in engagement with and joined to said forward surfaces of the rnoldboard entirely around its periphery, the forward surfaces of the mold board sections being vertically concave and said plate being of elliptical edge contour and being longitudinally bowed rearwardly whereby the edges on opposite sides of a medial olngitudinal line thereof conform to the curvature of the adjacent surfaces of the moldboard sections and said medial longitudinal line and said line of join between the ends of said sections lie in a common vertical plane.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,976,597 Bird Oct 9, 1934 2,219,159 Flynn Oct. 22, 1940 2,485,407 Peterson Oct. 18, 1949 l V l l 

